Hyannis, MA. – May 11, 1944

May 16, 2018

Hyannis, Massachusetts – May 11, 1944

Updated July 8, 2019

F4U Corsair
US Navy Photo

On the afternoon of May 11, 1944, navy Lieutenant (Jg.) George E. Orenge was piloting an F4U Corsair, Bu. No. 02665, over Cape Cod, Massachusetts, when the aircraft suddenly caught fire while in flight. Being over a populated area, Lieutenant Orenge opted to stay with the plane, but was unable to direct it towards an open area, or to make it to Hyannis Airport. The plane crashed on Barnstable Road about 200 yards from Main Street in the town of Hyannis. In the process it struck an elm tree and broke in two, pitching Lieutenant Orenge, still strapped to his seat, from the cockpit. As the aircraft came to rest and was consumed by flames, Lieutenant Orenge landed on the sidewalk in front of 62 Barnstable Road.

The homeowner of 62 Barnstable Road, Vernon Coleman, happened to be outside and witnessed the crash. He later told a reporter from the Cape Cod Standard Times, “I looked up and saw the plane sort of wavering with the motor on fire.”

Lieutenant Orenge was transported to Cape Cod Hospital, but remarkably, he’d only suffered some minor bumps, scrapes, and bruises.

The cause of the accident could not be determined due to total destruction of the aircraft.

It was also reported that he flew another aircraft later in the day.

F6F Hellcat
U.S. Navy Photo

This crash wasn’t the only one of Lieutenant (Jg.) Orenge’s naval career. On November 5, 1943, he was piloting an F6F-3 Hellcat, (Bu. No. 65895), when a tire blew out on landing at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island. The aircraft went off the runway and struck a truck. The aircraft needed extensive repairs, but Lieutenant (Jg.) Orenge suffered only minor injuries.